U.S. patent application number 15/435187 was filed with the patent office on 2017-10-05 for cyclist protection apparatus for vehicle and vehicle.
The applicant listed for this patent is Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha. Invention is credited to Takao KONDO, Isamu NAGASAWA.
Application Number | 20170282846 15/435187 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59885346 |
Filed Date | 2017-10-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170282846 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
NAGASAWA; Isamu ; et
al. |
October 5, 2017 |
CYCLIST PROTECTION APPARATUS FOR VEHICLE AND VEHICLE
Abstract
Provided is a cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle that
includes a front section that protrudes forward from a boarding
section. The cyclist protection apparatus includes a cyclist airbag
device that includes airbags, and is configured to be disposed in a
front-end area of the front section. The cyclist airbag device is
configured to deploy the airbags adjacently in a front-rear
direction on an upper surface of the front section.
Inventors: |
NAGASAWA; Isamu; (Tokyo,
JP) ; KONDO; Takao; (Tokyo, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
59885346 |
Appl. No.: |
15/435187 |
Filed: |
February 16, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 21/0134 20130101;
B60R 21/36 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60R 21/36 20060101
B60R021/36; B60R 21/0134 20060101 B60R021/0134; B60R 11/04 20060101
B60R011/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 31, 2016 |
JP |
2016-071692 |
Claims
1. A cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle comprising a front
section that protrudes forward from a boarding section, the cyclist
protection apparatus comprising: a cyclist airbag device comprising
airbags, the cyclist airbag device being configured to be disposed
in a front-end area of the front section, wherein the cyclist
airbag device is configured to deploy the airbags adjacently in a
front-rear direction on an upper surface of the front section.
2. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 1, wherein the airbags deployed adjacently in the front-rear
direction comprises a front airbag and a rear airbag, and wherein
the front airbag is configured to lie over the rear airbag in a
case where a load of a cyclist is applied from a front side.
3. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 1, wherein the airbags comprises a front airbag and a rear
airbag, and wherein the rear airbag is deployable higher than the
front airbag.
4. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 2, wherein the rear airbag is deployable higher than the
front airbag.
5. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 1, wherein the airbags comprises three or more airbags.
6. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 2, wherein the airbags comprises three or more airbags.
7. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 3, wherein the airbags comprises three or more airbags.
8. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 4, wherein the airbags comprises three or more airbags.
9. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 1, further comprising a nose cone, wherein the upper surface
of the front section comprises a hood constituting the upper
surface of the front section, and wherein the nose cone is
configured to be disposed in front of the hood.
10. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 2, further comprising a nose cone, wherein the upper surface
of the front section comprises a hood constituting the upper
surface of the front section, and wherein the nose cone is
configured to be disposed in front of the hood.
11. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 3, further comprising a nose cone, wherein the upper surface
of the front section comprises a hood constituting the upper
surface of the front section, and wherein the nose cone is
configured to be disposed in front of the hood.
12. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 4, further comprising a nose cone, wherein the upper surface
of the front section comprises a hood constituting the upper
surface of the front section, and wherein the nose cone is
configured to be disposed in front of the hood.
13. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 5, further comprising a nose cone, wherein the upper surface
of the front section comprises a hood constituting the upper
surface of the front section, and wherein the nose cone is
configured to be disposed in front of the hood.
14. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 6, further comprising a nose cone, wherein the upper surface
of the front section comprises a hood constituting the upper
surface of the front section, and wherein the nose cone is
configured to be disposed in front of the hood.
15. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 7, further comprising a nose cone, wherein the upper surface
of the front section comprises a hood constituting the upper
surface of the front section, and wherein the nose cone is
configured to be disposed in front of the hood.
16. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 8, further comprising a nose cone, wherein the upper surface
of the front section comprises a hood constituting the upper
surface of the front section, and wherein the nose cone is
configured to be disposed in front of the hood.
17. The cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle according to
claim 9, further comprising a nose cone, wherein the upper surface
of the front section comprises a hood constituting the upper
surface of the front section, and wherein the nose cone is
configured to be disposed in front of the hood.
18. A vehicle comprising: a front section that protrudes forward
from a boarding section; and a cyclist airbag device comprising
airbags, the cyclist airbag device being configured to be disposed
in a front-end area of the front section, wherein the cyclist
airbag device is configured to deploy the airbags adjacently in a
front-rear direction on an upper surface of the front section.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent
Application No. 2016-071692 filed on Mar. 31, 2016, the entire
contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The present invention relates to cyclist protection
apparatuses for vehicles and vehicles.
[0004] 2. Related Art
[0005] Vehicles, such as automobiles, have the possibility of
colliding with pedestrians moving outside the vehicles.
[0006] In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (JP-A)
Nos. 2010-012966 and 09-030368, a plurality of airbags are deployed
in a flatly-arranged manner on the hood.
[0007] Thus, the airbags are deployed flat between the upper body
of a pedestrian colliding with the front of the vehicle and the
hood, thereby attenuating the impact.
[0008] Moreover, vehicles, such as automobiles, also have the
possibility of colliding with, for example, cyclists riding on
bicycles, in addition to pedestrians.
[0009] If a cyclist and an automobile collide with each other,
there is a possibility that the protection apparatus according to
JP-A Nos. 2010-012966 and 09-030368 cannot properly protect the
cyclist due to the position of the cyclist's waist being high.
[0010] After the collision, the cyclist may fall up onto the hood
of the automobile, have his/her waist caught on the hood, and then
bounce up from the dented hood. In this type of collision, there is
a possibility that the protection apparatus according to JP-A Nos.
2010-012966 and 09-030368 cannot sufficiently exhibit its
function.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] Accordingly, in a vehicle, it is desirable to enhance the
performance for protecting a colliding cyclist.
[0012] An aspect of the present invention provides a cyclist
protection apparatus for a vehicle that includes a front section
that protrudes forward from a boarding section. The apparatus
includes The cyclist airbag device includes airbags and is
configured to be disposed in a front-end area of the front section.
The cyclist airbag device is configured to deploy the airbags
adjacently in a front-rear direction on an upper surface of the
front section.
[0013] The airbags may include a front airbag and a rear airbag.
The front airbag may be configured to lie over the rear airbag in a
case where a load of a cyclist is applied from a front side.
[0014] The rear airbag may be deployable higher than the front
airbag.
[0015] The airbags may include three or more airbags.
[0016] The cyclist protection apparatus may further include a nose.
The upper surface of the front section may include a hood
constituting the upper surface of the front section. The nose cone
may be configured to be disposed in front of the hood.
[0017] Another aspect of the present invention provides a vehicle.
The vehicle includes a front section and a cyclist airbag device.
The front section protrudes forward from a boarding section. The
cyclist airbag device includes airbags and is configured to be
disposed in a front-end area of the front section. The cyclist
airbag device is configured to deploy the airbags adjacently in a
front-rear direction on an upper surface of the front section.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of an automobile according
to an implementation of the present invention;
[0019] FIGS. 2A to 2D illustrate an example of a vehicle-to-cyclist
collision mode;
[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a vehicle-to-pedestrian
collision mode;
[0021] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a cyclist protection apparatus
according to this implementation;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system of the cyclist
protection apparatus in FIGS. 4A and 4B;
[0023] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of control executed by a controller in
FIG. 5 when a collision with a cyclist occurs; and
[0024] FIGS. 7A to 7C illustrate an example of a vehicle-to-cyclist
collision mode according to this implementation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] An implementation of the present invention will be described
below with reference to the appended drawings.
[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of an automobile 1
according to an implementation of the present invention. In FIG. 1,
a side surface of the automobile 1 is illustrated together with a
cyclist cycling across in front of the automobile 1.
[0027] The automobile 1 is an example of a vehicle.
[0028] A vehicle body of the automobile 1 in FIG. 1 has a front
section 2, a boarding section 3, and a rear section 4.
[0029] The front section 2 protrudes forward from the boarding
section 3. Power units, such as an engine and an electric motor,
are disposed in the front section 2. The upper surface of the front
section 2 is provided with an openable-closable hood 5. A nose cone
6 including a bumper is provided in front of the hood 5. The upper
surface of the front section 2 is constituted of the hood 5 and the
upper surface of the nose cone 6.
[0030] Seats on which on-board occupants sit are provided in the
boarding section 3. The front surface of the boarding section 3 is
provided with a front windshield 7 at a position above the upper
surface of the front section 2.
[0031] The rear section 4 protrudes rearward from the boarding
section 3. A luggage space is provided in the rear section 4.
[0032] FIGS. 2A to 2D illustrate an example of a vehicle-to-cyclist
collision mode.
[0033] When a cyclist collides with the front of the automobile 1,
the cyclist falls up onto the hood 5 of the automobile 1 after the
collision, as illustrated in FIG. 2A, due to the position of the
cyclist's waist being high.
[0034] Then, the hood 5 is dented and deformed due to the load from
the fallen cyclist, as illustrated in FIG. 2B. Subsequently, the
hood 5 pushes the cyclist upward, as illustrated in FIG. 2C.
[0035] For example, the cyclist pushed upward by the hood 5 in this
manner moves rearward, as illustrated in FIG. 2D, in accordance
with the relative speed and the relative moving direction of the
automobile 1 and the cyclist. In this case, the cyclist's head may
possibly hit against the front windshield 7.
[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a vehicle-to-pedestrian
collision mode.
[0037] As illustrated in FIG. 3, when a pedestrian collides with
the front of the automobile 1, the upper body of the pedestrian
rotates down about the position of the waist toward the hood 5 of
the automobile 1. Thus, the pedestrian is unlikely to fall up onto
the hood 5 after the collision. Moreover, the pedestrian is
unlikely to move rearward on the hood 5.
[0038] Accordingly, the vehicle-to-pedestrian collision mode and
the vehicle-to-cyclist collision mode are different from each
other. Therefore, even if an airbag is deployed flat on the hood 5
for protecting a pedestrian, it is difficult to properly protect a
cyclist.
[0039] In this implementation, the performance for protecting a
colliding cyclist is enhanced.
[0040] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a cyclist protection apparatus 11
according to this implementation. FIG. 4A is a partial side view of
the front section 2 of the vehicle body, and FIG. 4B is a top view
of the front section 2 of the vehicle body.
[0041] The cyclist protection apparatus 11 in FIGS. 4A and 4B has a
plurality of cyclist airbag devices 12. In FIGS. 4A and 4B, three
cyclist airbag devices 12 are illustrated. The number of cyclist
airbag devices 12 arranged in the front-rear direction may be two
or four or more.
[0042] Each cyclist airbag device 12 has a cyclist airbag 13 and a
main body 14 that accommodates the cyclist airbag 13 and an
inflator.
[0043] The plurality of cyclist airbag devices 12 are arranged in
the front-rear direction in the central area at the front end of
the front section 2 of the automobile 1.
[0044] Each cyclist airbag 13 bursts through the hood 5
constituting the upper surface of the front section 2 and the upper
surface of the nose cone 6 so as to deploy upward therefrom.
[0045] Then, the plurality of cyclist airbags 13 deploy adjacently
in the front-rear direction.
[0046] Furthermore, with regard to the plurality of cyclist airbags
13, the middle cyclist airbag 13 deploys higher than the front
cyclist airbag 13, and the rear cyclist airbag 13 deploys even
higher than the middle cyclist airbag 13. The rear cyclist airbag
13 deploys higher than the adjacent cyclist airbags 13 in front
thereof.
[0047] Moreover, with regard to the plurality of cyclist airbags
13, the middle cyclist airbag 13 deploys wider in the vehicle width
direction than the front cyclist airbag 13, and the rear cyclist
airbag 13 deploys even wider in the vehicle width direction than
the middle cyclist airbag 13. The rear cyclist airbag 13 deploys
wider in the vehicle width direction than the adjacent cyclist
airbags 13 in front thereof.
[0048] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control system of the cyclist
protection apparatus 11 in FIGS. 4A and 4B.
[0049] In the control system in FIG. 5, an image capturing device
21, a radar 22, an airbag device 23, and a controller 24 coupled to
these devices are illustrated. The airbag device 23 includes the
plurality of cyclist airbag devices 12.
[0050] The controller 24 predicts a collision based on detections
by the image capturing device 21 and the radar 22 and detects a
collision. Then, the controller 24 outputs an inflator ignition
signal to the airbag device 23 at a necessary timing.
[0051] For example, if a collision with a cyclist is detected, an
ignition signal is output to the plurality of cyclist airbag
devices 12, so that the plurality of cyclist airbags 13 are
deployed.
[0052] The image capturing device 21 is, for example, a pair of
image capturing elements provided facing forward at either one of
the roof of the boarding section 3 and the front windshield 7, as
illustrated in FIG. 1, and observes the peripheral conditions ahead
of the automobile 1 by imaging.
[0053] The radar 22 is disposed at, for example, the front surface
of the front section 2 of the automobile 1. The radar 22 emits an
ultrasonic wave or a radio wave and observes the peripheral
conditions ahead of the automobile 1 in accordance with, for
example, whether or not there is a reflected wave.
[0054] Then, the controller 24 specifies an obstacle, such as a
cyclist passing in front of the automobile 1, so as to determine
whether there is a possibility of a collision with the
obstacle.
[0055] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of control executed by the controller
24 in FIG. 5 when a collision with a cyclist occurs.
[0056] The controller 24 periodically executes the cyclist
collision control in FIG. 6.
[0057] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the controller 24 determines
whether or not a collision with a cyclist has occurred (step ST1).
For example, if a collision with a cyclist is detected, it may be
determined that the collision with the cyclist has occurred.
[0058] If the collision with the cyclist has occurred, the
controller 24 executes control for protecting the cyclist (step
ST2). Specifically, an ignition signal is output to the plurality
of cyclist airbag devices 12. Thus, as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and
4B, the plurality of cyclist airbags 13 are deployed. In this case,
the order in which the plurality of cyclist airbags 13 are deployed
may be controlled. For example, the plurality of cyclist airbags 13
may be deployed sequentially from the front.
[0059] FIGS. 7A to 7C illustrate an example of a vehicle-to-cyclist
collision mode according to this implementation.
[0060] By executing the control in FIG. 6, the plurality of cyclist
airbags 13 are deployed adjacently in the front-rear direction on
the upper surface of the front section 2 of the automobile 1.
[0061] Then, the colliding cyclist tends to fall up onto the hood 5
of the automobile 1, as illustrated in FIG. 7A, due to the position
of the cyclist's waist being high.
[0062] In this implementation, since the plurality of cyclist
airbags 13 are deployed adjacently and densely in the front-rear
direction, the cyclist's waist comes into contact with the
front-most cyclist airbag 13, so that the load of the cyclist's
waist is applied thereto. The front-most cyclist airbag 13 is
supported by the remaining cyclist airbags 13 deployed behind the
front-most cyclist airbag 13, so that the front-most cyclist airbag
13 is maintained in an erected state even in the state where the
load is applied thereto, thereby absorbing the load.
[0063] With regard to the cyclist with his/her waist in contact
with the front-most cyclist airbag 13, the upper body of the
cyclist moves rearward due to inertia, so that the cyclist rotates
downward toward the hood 5, as illustrated in FIG. 7B.
[0064] Then, the upper body of the cyclist falling toward the hood
5 falls up onto the plurality of cyclist airbags 13, as illustrated
in FIG. 7C.
[0065] Accordingly, in this implementation, the cyclist airbag
devices 12 are provided at the front end of the front section 2 of
the automobile 1, and the plurality of cyclist airbags 13 are
deployed adjacently on the upper surface of the front section 2
from the cyclist airbag devices 12. Thus, even if the cyclist falls
up onto the front section 2 of the automobile 1 after the
collision, the plurality of cyclist airbags 13 can receive the body
of the fallen cyclist. The fallen cyclist is unlikely to move
rearward thereafter.
[0066] Furthermore, in this implementation, in a case where the
load of the cyclist is applied from the front to the plurality of
cyclist airbags 13 deployed adjacently in the front-rear direction,
the cyclist airbag 13 located at the front side lies over the
cyclist airbag 13 located therebehind. Therefore, the cyclist
airbag 13 located at the front side lying over the cyclist airbag
13 located therebehind is unlikely to fall rearward even if the
load is applied from the front. The cyclist airbag 13 at the front
side, which is unlikely to fall rearward, can properly receive the
load of the cyclist applied from the front.
[0067] Furthermore, in this implementation, with regard to the
plurality of cyclist airbags 13 deployed adjacently in the
front-rear direction, the cyclist airbag 13 located at the rear
side deploys higher than the cyclist airbag 13 located in front
thereof. The upper edges of the plurality of cyclist airbags 13
form a linear imaginary plane. Thus, in a case where the upper body
of the cyclist in contact with the front-most cyclist airbag 13
from the front and received by the front-most cyclist airbag 13
rotates downward toward the upper surface of the front section 2,
the entire upper body can be supported by the imaginary plane
extending along the upper body.
[0068] In contrast, in a case where only a part of the upper body
comes into contact with the cyclist airbags 13, the contact area
thereof tends to receive the falling load in a concentrated
manner.
[0069] In this implementation, the number of cyclist airbags 13 to
be deployed adjacently in the front-rear direction is three.
Accordingly, three or more cyclist airbags 13 are adjacent to one
another in the front-rear direction so that the front-most cyclist
airbag 13 can stand upright from the upper surface of the front
section 2 even when a load is applied from the front, thereby
readily maintaining its deployed orientation.
[0070] Although the implementation described above is an example of
a preferred implementation of the present invention, the present
invention is not limited to the above implementation and permits
various modifications and alterations so long as they do not depart
from the scope of the invention.
[0071] For example, in the above-described implementation, the
plurality of cyclist airbag devices 12 are arranged in the
front-rear direction from the upper surface of the nose cone 6 to
the hood 5.
[0072] Alternatively, for example, the plurality of cyclist airbag
devices 12 may be arranged in the front-rear direction in the hood
5.
* * * * *